Blender with co-operating jug and blades

ABSTRACT

A blender comprises a jug and a cutting assembly having an upwardly inclined main blade portion. The jug has an interior portion, and the lower portion has a profile that includes an upwardly reaching portion conforms to the blade shape of the cutting assembly to reduce food accumulation below the main blades.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to blenders and more particularly to a blenderhaving a jug with an interior surface that has a generally bowl-likeprofile in the lower section and more particularly an upwardly reachingportion below the blades, the blades also preferably having an upwardlyreaching portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A blender typically comprises a motorised base onto which is mounted ajug. When the jug is mounted onto the base, a coupling half extendingfrom a lower surface of the jug engages with a coupling half that isdriven by the motor. The jug's coupling connects with a rotating bladeor blade assembly within the jug.

The usefulness of a blender is sometimes limited because of unevenmixing within the jug and because some foods tend to accumulate belowthe blade, in the space between the blade and the jug's inter surface.Both of these factors contribute to uneven and inefficient processing ofblended foods. Further, accumulation of solids beneath the blades makescleaning the jug's interior more difficult and time consuming. Thus, ablender that can produce a more uniformly blended product is moredesirable that one that does not.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the instant hardware to provide a combination of jugand blade or blade assembly that contributes to the performance of ablender.

It is another object of the invention to provide a blade or bladeassembly, and also a jug, such that the jug profile directly below theblade contains an upwardly inclined portion.

It is another object of the invention to provide a jug with an interiorsurface having a lower section that is rounded, particularly in the areabelow the cutting surfaces of its main blade or blades.

It is another object of some embodiments of the invention to provide acutting assembly for a blender, the cutting assembly having curved orpolyhedral main blades, preferably with upright blade tips.

In some preferred embodiments of the invention, the upper surface of thecoupling assembly and the lower section of the interior of the blenderform a generally continuous profile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

In order that the invention is better understood, reference is now madeto the following drawing figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a jug and coupling assembly made inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section along lines B-B of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section through lines C-C of FIG. 2 showing a jug witha dish that conforms to a blade shape;

FIG. 5( a) is a top plan view of a main blade with offset;

FIG. 5( b) is a first side elevation of the depicted in FIG. 5( a);

FIG. 5( c) is an end view of the blade depicted in FIGS. 5( a) and (b);

FIG. 6( a) is a top plan view of an upper or secondary cutting unit;

FIG. 6( b) is a side elevation of the cutting unit depicted in FIG. 6(a);

FIG. 6( c) is another side elevation of the blade depicted in FIG. 6(a);

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the jug andcoupling assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the device depicted in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross section through lines A-A of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is cross-section through lines B-B of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11( a) is a top plan view of another main blade in accordance withthe teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 11( b) is a side elevation of the blade depicted in FIG. 11( a);

FIG. 11( c) is an end elevation of the blade depicted in FIGS. 11( a)and (b);

FIG. 12( a) is a top plan view of an upper blade unit;

FIG. 12( b) is a side elevation of the blade unit depicted in FIG. 12(a);

FIG. 12( c) is another end elevation of the blade unit depicted in FIG.12( a);

FIG. 12( d) is a partial end elevation of the blade unit depicted inFIG. 12( a) but with serrations;

FIG. 12( e) is a side elevation of a blade unit where the blades areinclined to the same degree;

FIG. 13( a) is a top plan view of another upper blade;

FIG. 13( b) is a side elevation of a blade unit depicted in FIG. 13( a);

FIG. 13( c) is an end elevation of the blade unit depicted in FIG. 13(a);

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of another embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a side elevation of the embodiment depicted in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is another side elevation of the embodiment depicted in FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a side elevation view of a further embodiment showing a dishwith a hub;

FIG. 18 is a side elevation of a jug showing a conforming blade;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of jug showing lid and ring pull;

FIG. 20 is a top plan view of another embodiment; and

FIG. 21 is a cross section through the device of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a cross section of a further embodiment where the main bladeunit has a straight profile;

FIG. 23 is a cross section of another embodiment where the main bladeunit has a convex profile;

FIG. 24 is a cross section of still another embodiment where the mainblade unit has a random profile;

FIG. 25 is a cross section of another embodiment where the inflectionpoint is at the junction between the jug and the stainless steel dish;

FIG. 26 is a cross section of another alternate embodiment where the jugprofile below the main blade curves or reaches upwardly toward the toprim, and the main blade inclines or reaches in a straight line towardthe top rim;

FIG. 27 is a cross section of an embodiment where the jug profile belowthe main blade inclines in a straight line towards the top rim and themain blade curves towards the top rim;

FIG. 28 is a cross section of an embodiment where the jug profile belowthe main blade inclines in a straight line towards the top rim, and themain blade is flat, but for the tips;

FIG. 29 is a cross section of an embodiment where the jug profile belowthe main blade and the main blade profile each contains upwardlyreaching portions, but the upwardly reaching portions of the jug is notbelow the upwardly reaching portion of the blade.

BEST MODE AND OTHER EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIG. 1, a jug 10 for a blender comprises a transparentcontainer 11 with a main opening 12 defined by an upper rim 13. In thisexample, the container or body shape is primarily square in crosssection and the container includes a handle 14. The body 12 is carriedby a locking collar 15 that sits atop a motorised base (not shown). Arotating cutting assembly 18 fits within the jug 10.

In preferred embodiments, the part of the jug directly below the cuttingassembly 18 (or concealed by the swept area of the cutting assembly 18)contains at least a portion which reaches upwardly towards the top rim.Upward reaching portions, in the context of this specification, canrefer to straight inclines (conical sections) towards the top rim 13, orcurved profiles that extend toward the top rim 13.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the locking collar also receives acoupling assembly 16, portions of which fit within a through opening 17located in a lower section of the container 12. The coupling-assembly16, in turn, carries a rotating cutting assembly 18.

Referring to FIG. 1, the cutting assembly 18 comprises one or moreblades that are attached to a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft passesthrough the coupling assemble 16 and its half coupling (not shown) isconnectable to a co-operating coupling half carried by the motorisedbase. In the context of the present teaching, the maximum diameter ofthe cutting assembly 18 is limited by the diameter of the throughopening 17 into which the coupling assembly is inserted. It is preferredthat the maximum diameter of the various blades making up the cuttingassembly not exceed the diameter of the through opening 17.

Note from the example depicted in FIG. 1 that the upper rim of the jugis generally square but having rounded corners 19. In this example, thehorizontal cross section of the jug maintains this generally squarecross section from the upper rim 13 to an inflection point 20 that islocated between the opening 17 and the upper rim 13. Below thistransition point 20, the corner radius gradually increases so that thelower section 21 of the internal cavity is smooth and longitudinallyrounded as shown in longitudinal cross-section of FIGS. 3 and 4. Theportion below the transition point 20 is referred to as the lowersection of the container or jug. The lower section 21 thus forms a bowlshape having the central opening 17 formed in it.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the optional coupling assembly 16 furthercomprises an upper surface forming a stainless steel dish 23 that issurrounded by a generally cylindrical and descending sidewall 24. Ahorizontal flange 25 is carried by a lower edge of the sidewall 24. Apolymeric seal 26 is interposed between the flange 25 and the lower rim27 of the container. The stainless steel dish 23 is useful because islocated primarily below the swept area of the main blades and can thusbe used to define an upwardly reaching profile or shape that isoptimised.

As shown is FIG. 3, the longitudinal curvature of the lower section 21and the curvature of the dish 23 are complimentary, forming a generallysmooth, continuous line of curvature that extends from adjacent to acentral portion of the dish 23 through to the upper regions of the lowersection 21. It will be understood that this generally continuous line ofcurvature is interrupted by the gap or joint between the dish 23 and thecontainer. The dish may include a central flat portion 29 that in thisexample is the upper surface of an assembly that contains the shaftbearings and shaft onto which the cutting assembly 18 is mounted. Anembodiment depicted in FIGS. 14-16 does not require the central flatportion 29. The embodiment shown in FIG. 17 has a dish with a raisedcentral hub.

As shown in FIG. 4, the jug's shaft 40 is attached to the cuttingassembly 18. The cutting assembly 18 includes a lower or main blade unit41, a spacer 42 and an upper blade module 43. Note that the diameter ofthe main or lower blade unit 41 is maximised so as to be about the sameas the diameter of the dish's sidewall 24. The main or lower blade unit41 is preferably upwardly curved so that the curvature covers asubstantial portion of the main blade unit. The main or lower blade unit41 is curved to about the same extent as the curvature of the dish 23.The main or lower blade unit 41 also includes upturned and upright bladetips 44. Thus in this embodiment a curved gap 45 is defined between themain blade 41 and the upper surface of the dish 23, particularly towardthe tips of the main blade unit 41. In this example, the upper blademodule or unit 43 comprises four separate cutting edges formed from asingle metal blank.

The gap 45 depicted in FIG. 4 is depicted as relatively constant alongthe curved portion of the dish. In this way the lower blade 41 is saidto conform to the curvature in the dish 23 in examples of this type. Inpreferred embodiments the spacing or depth of the gap is no more thanabout 15 mm measured, as shown by arrows 45 in FIG. 4, between theclosest points on the blade 41 and dish 23 (not vertically). The lowerblade 180 depicted in FIG. 18 is also said to conform to the shape ofthe dish 181 even though the gap is not constant. In that example, theend 182 of the lower blade (at the point where the blade bends upwardlyinto the upright blade tip) forms a gap 183 that is wider than the gap184 measured at the root of the blade 180. The blade is said to conformbecause the gap does not exceed about 15 mm. In preferred embodiments ofthe conforming blade, an increasing gap of this type also has theproperties of increasing in size going from the root to the tip of theblade. In particularly preferred embodiment the gap increases smoothlyand without abrupt transitions.

An optimised lower or main blade unit for a square jug is depicted inFIGS. 5 a, b, and c. The main blade unit 41 comprises an arcuate bodyportion 51 having a central opening 52. Opposite offset arms 53, 54 ofthe body each carry a cutting edge 55. The cutting edges are bevelled sothat the facet 56 faces downwardly and into the direction of rotation.Each upright blade tip 57 also features a cutting edge with a bevelfacet surface 58 facing inward and into the direction of rotation. Notethat the longitudinal centre lines of the two arms 53, 54 are slightlyoffset with respect to one another.

An optimised upper blade unit 43 for the blender jug of FIGS. 1-4 isdepicted in FIG. 6. Note that a single metal blank 60 has been formedwith more than two, e.g. four, minor arms 61, 62, 63, 64 forming bladesthat are generally 90 degrees offset from one another about the centralopening 65. In some embodiments, at least one of the minor arms has e.g.semi-circular or saw-tooth serrations. Each blade features a cuttingedge and each blade is inclined in respect to the horizontal to adifferent extent. One of the blades 61 is almost vertical. An oppositeblade 63 is more inclined from the vertical but less inclined than athird blade 62. The forth blade 64 is the most inclined from thevertical. The bevel or facet of the cutting edges of the less inclinedblades 62, 64 is upwardly directed 66. The bevelled edge 67 of the pairof more up right blades 61, 63 faces outward.

Owing to the spacer 42, the upper blade module in carried above andspaced from the main or lower blade 41.

A second embodiment of the present improvements is depicted in FIG. 7.In this example, the jug body or container 70 is generally round inhorizontal cross section. The container 70 features a spout 71 and anopposing handle 72. The interior of the body is also round in crosssection, tapering from a maximum diameter near the upper rim 73 to atransition or inflection point 92 (see FIG. 10) then curving toward aminimum diameter near the central opening 74. The jug body 70 features apair of opposing internal ribs 75. As better shown in FIG. 9, the tipsof the ribs go may be generally vertical and parallel with one another.The ribs are generally triangular in cross section. Similar to theembodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the jug features a locking collar 76 andfeatures a coupling assembly 77 that includes a stainless dish or dishportion 78. A slightly different cutting assembly 79 is utilized withthis example will be more fully explained below.

As shown in FIGS. 8-10, and ignoring the vertical ribs 75, the lowersection 93 of the interior walls 80 of the container curve so as toconform and blend smoothly with the line of curvature established by thestainless dish 78 of the coupling assembly 77. A circular seam orcircumferential gap is seen between the dish 78 and the container.

As suggested by FIG. 10, the main blade unit 100 of the cutting assembly79 is about the same diameter as the jug's lower central opening 74. Themain or lower blade unit 100 is curved from its central opening to theupright tips 101 so as to conform to the curvature of the dish 78. Notefrom the illustration of FIGS. 9 and 10 that the upper blade units 120,130 are attached to the jug's rotating shaft 102, just above the mainblade unit 100, there being no significant spacer between them.

Upper and lower blades optimised for a rounded jug are disclosed withreference to FIGS. 11-13. As shown in FIG. 11( a) the main or lowerblade unit 100 comprises an arcuate or curved main body 110 havingupturned or generally vertical blade tips 111. In this example, the mainblade unit is both arcuate and slightly twisted about its longitudinalaxis so that when it rotates, it delivers a greater down force than itwould if it was untwisted. Note that the bevelled faces of the cuttingedges of the main body portion 110 and the wing tips 111 are directeddownwardly or outwardly, that is, away from the longitudinal centrelineof the container. This also creates an optimized down and outward forceproduced from the rotation of the blade. In this example, the tips 111also have an angle of attack, with respect to the direction of rotationthat tends to urge food outward toward the sidewalls of the jug.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the upper blade units are formed from twoseparate blanks. An internal blade pair 120 is formed from a singleblank and carries a pair of opposed blades 121, 122. Each of the bladesin 121, 122 are inclined at different angles and each is tapered from amaximum width near the central opening 123 to a minimum width near theblade tip. FIG. 12( d) shows the example where the upper blades haveserrations 126. In an alternate embodiment depicted in FIG. 12( e), theblades 124, 125 have the same characteristics as those shown in FIG. 12(a) to 12(c), but are inclined at the same angle. The external orintermediate blade pair 130 is depicted in FIG. 13. This blade pairfeatures upwardly directed bevelled edges 131 that define generallystraight cutting edges. Each of the blades tapers from a maximum widthnear the central opening 132 to a minimum width near the blade tip.

As shown in FIGS. 14-16 another preferred embodiment is depicted. Inthis example, the dish 140 of the coupling assembly lacks any centralflat portion and is thus smoothly curved at essentially all points belowthe lower blade. In this example as in others, the rounding below thetransition point 142 in the jug is smooth and generally continuous withthe shape of the dish. In a longitudinal plane, the curvature of theinterior of the jug is thus continuous (except in the area of anyoptional vertical ribs) from the upper rim 143, down to a location belowthe lower blades. The circumferential gap between the dish and the jugis disregarded. In preferred embodiments, the continuous curvatureextends below a substantial part of the working portion of the lowerblades and in the example of FIGS. 14-16 the curvature extendspractically to the root of the blades 141.

Another embodiment is depicted in FIG. 17. In this example, the dishincludes a raised central hub 171 through which passes the shaft 172.The blade or main blade unit 176 has an intermediate flat raised portion177 between the arms, this intermediate portion also defining a raisedcentral hub. The jug's interior curvature is still considered continuousbecause it is generally continuous from the upper rim 173, reaching downto a point 174 that extends below substantially all of the working orcutting portion 175 of the lower blade 176. The blade 176 is said tocooperate or conform to the dish 170 because the gap between blade 176and dish 170 is not greater than about 15 mm and does not substantiallynarrow toward the tip under any part of the cutting portion 175.

An optional pull tab feature is shown in FIG. 19. As shown there,removal of the polymeric lid is facilitated by providing the lid 190with a pull tab 191. The pull tab 191 has a finger-sized or largeropening, and forms a preferably generally continuous circular ring abovethe upper surface of the lid. It may extend fully or partially beyondthe outer edge 192 of the lid for increased leverage and ease of storageby hanging. The central axis 193 of symmetry of the opening isperpendicular to the longitudinal axis 194 of the jug. Because the jugmay be tight fitting to avoid inadvertent removal or spillage duringuse, and wet as a result of use, a pull tab of this kind makes removalof the lid by the user easier.

As explained above, a blender has been devised that utilises thecooperation between the jug's interior geometry and the blades,particularly the lower blade to produce a more efficient mixing actionwhen in operation. While blade shape is important and some blade shapeswork better than others and some blades are better adapted to differentjug configurations (as explained above), the principle benefits of theimprovements are delivered by practicing the interior curvatures taughtabove with regard to the jug's interior. Various methods of jugconstruction may be employed to yield the continuous curvaturesdescribed above, the provision of a jug and cooperating couplingassembly with dish being only one technique and not deemed absolutelyessential to the functioning of the device.

As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 a jug with a rounded lower section andcooperating or conforming blade need not have a removable couplingassembly. As shown in these figures, the rounded lower section 200extends from the transition point 201, continuously and without anyjoint or seam to an opening 202 through which the shaft 203 extends.Note that the curved lower blades 204 of the cutting assembly conform tothe curvature that is beneath them in the lower section. The bearingsfor the shaft 203 are contained in a shrouded recess 205 that is formedinto the underside of the lower section. In this example, a skirt 206extends to the lowest edge 207 of the jug. Thus a web 208 is formedbetween the upper 209 and lower edge 207 of the jug, this web forming,in part, the lower section 200 and having formed in it, the opening 202.

Although concave curved main blade units are described above, it isappreciated that the blade shape may vary as long as the main bladeshave at least a portion that is upwardly inclined or upwardly reaching.

By way of example, FIGS. 22, 23, and 24 show three alternativeembodiments which all adhere to the following principles: at least aportion of the main blade unit inclines or reaches upwardly, and themain blade unit cooperates with (or conforms to) the shape below themain blade. Conformity here means that a gap between the main blade andthe dish is not greater than about 15 mm and does not substantiallynarrow toward the tip of the main blade under any part of the blade'scutting portion. More generally, at least a portion of the main bladeunit inclines or reaches upwardly, and at least a portion of the jugbelow the swept area of the blades also inclines or reaches upwardly.

For example, FIG. 22 shows an embodiment where the stainless dish 222from the coupling assembly has a central opening 223 located at thelowest part of the jug profile, and a shaft 221 passes through thiscentral opening. The main blade arms 224, 225 are generally upwardlyinclined. Each arm extends upwardly from the shaft, and contains astraight section 226, then bends towards an upright tip 227. Thestainless dish 222 also has a straight (linear) profile or conicalsection 228 which cooperates with the main blade arms 224, 225. The dish222 has a horizontal flange 229 that is carried below the jug orcontainer's sidewall 220.

FIG. 23 shows an embodiment with an analogous relationship between theshaft 234, main blade arm 236, the stainless dish 232, and the container233. The main blade arm 231 extends from a lowest part 235 near theshaft 234, and then curves upwardly in a full length uniform convexcurve 236, before bending into an upright tip 237.

FIG. 24 shows yet another embodiment that is similar to the one in FIG.23, but each main blade arm has a compound profile. A lowest part of thearm 241 extends from the centrally located shaft 242. The lowest part241 is approximately horizontal and extends into a convex portion 243.The arm becomes almost horizontal in a middle portion 244, and thenfollows a concave curvature from this portion at an inflection point 246before bending into an upright tip 247.

FIG. 25 shows an embodiment similar to the example shown in FIG. 16 butwith the following differences. In this embodiment, the inflection point253 is located at the junction between the jug 254 and the base 255. Theinterior surface of the jug 251 is therefore a straight tapered linefrom the top rim 252 to the inflection point 253.

Note that in the previous embodiments disclosed, the part of the jugbelow the swept area of the main blade has a cooperating profile withthe main blade. FIGS. 26, 27, and 28 show some more general exampleswhere the profile or shape of the jug's interior below the main bladeand the main blade profile are different but both profiles includeportions that reaching upwardly toward the top rim.

In FIG. 26, the rotating shaft 261 is centrally located at the lowestpart of the jug profile. Each main blade arm 262 extends from the shaft,reaches upwardly toward the top rim 264 in a straight incline 265, andthen bends into an upright tip 266. The stainless steel dish 263 alsoextends from the shaft 262, but it reaches upwardly toward the top rim264 in a curve. It can be seen from FIG. 26 that the entire upwardlyreaching portion of the dish is directly beneath the entire upwardlyreaching main blade portion 265. Note that in this example, a surface ofthe base 268 conforms to the profile of the dish 263, this quality maybe desired in some embodiments but is not essential.

FIG. 27 shows an example similar to FIG. 26, except for the following.The upwardly reaching main blade portion 271 is substantially the fullworking length of the main blade. Thus the entire blade curves towardsthe top rim 272 before bending into an upright tip 273. Also, theupwardly reaching dish portion 274 is a straight incline towards the toprim 272 under the entire main blade length.

FIG. 28 is a further embodiment, where the main blade 281 extends from acentrally located shaft 282, and comprises a straight, flat portion withno incline 283 and an upright tip 284. The dish 285 reaches toward thetop rim 286 in a straight incline directly beneath the swept area of theflat main blade portion 283.

FIG. 29 shows another embodiment. Extending from a centrally locatedshaft 291, the main blade 292 comprises a first flat portion 293, amiddle straight incline portion 294, and a second flat portion 295. Thedish 296, still generally concealed by the swept area of the main blade,comprises a flat dish portion 297 and an upwardly curved dish portion298. The flat dish portion is underneath the first flat main bladeportion 293 and the middle incline main blade portion 294, whereas theupwardly curved dish portion 298 is underneath the second flat mainblade portion 295. Thus, the flat part of the dish is vertically alignedwith an upwardly reaching part of the main blade, and the second flatportion of the main blade is vertically above the upwardly reachingportion of the jug's profile below the main blades.

While the above disclosed technology has been described with referenceto particular details of construction, these should be understood ashaving been provided by way of example and not as limitations to thescope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus including a blender jug and acutting assembly; the cutting assembly comprising a main blade having atleast two main arms that reach upwardly outwardly within the jug, androtating the main blade defines an area swept through by the main arms;the jug comprising a lower portion that defines an upwardlyradially-outward reaching lower interior surface within the jug; thelower interior surface being a curved concave surface that conforms withthe profile of the main arms; the jug further comprising an uprightouter sidewall that defines a interior side surface of the jug having asubstantially straight profile; a transition point on the inner surfaceof the jug being the intersection between the upwardly radially-outwardreaching lower surface and the substantially straight interior sidesurface of the jug; the transition point about the side of the jugdefines a continuous transition contour; wherein the area swept throughby the main arms of the rotating blade is spaced directly above andconforming with an underlying portion of the lower interior surface ofthe jug; the underlying portion defines an upwardly radially-outwardreaching surface within the jug; and wherein the main arms are locatedwithin the jug such that the continuous transition contour is locatedwithin an inner surface region of jug that extends from a pointhorizontal to the main blade to a point above the main blade.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein, each main arm is upwardly curved along afull length.
 3. The apparatus according claim 2, wherein, an uprightblade tip is located proximal to an outer end of each main arm.
 4. Theapparatus according to claim 1, wherein, each main arm further comprisesa cutting edge that faces downwardly and into a direction of rotation.5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, the cutting assembly ismounted on a coupling assembly that defines the underlying portion ofthe interior surface of the jug.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the cutting assembly further comprising an upper blade modulehaving two or more minor arms that reach upwardly outwardly within thejug, the upper blade module being co-axially spaced above the mainblade, wherein the area swept through by the minor arms is less than thearea swept through by the main arms; each minor arm is verticallyinclined to a different degree to the main arms.
 7. The apparatusaccording to claim 5, wherein, the main blade has an intermediate raisedportion interconnecting the arms, the portion shaped to conform to anelevated central hub in the lower portion of the jug.
 8. The apparatusaccording to claim 5, wherein, the main blade has two main arms that arejoined together and offset.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 5,wherein, the outwardly-upwardly reaching surface of the jug is definedby a metallic dish.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, across section of the jug is generally round.
 11. The apparatus accordingto claim 2, wherein, the upwardly reaching portion of the main arms andthe upwardly reaching surface of the jug are vertically aligned; and ashape of the main blade substantially conforms to a shape of the jugbelow the area swept through by of the main blade.
 12. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, the apparatus further including: a relativelytight fitting polymeric lid having an upper surface and an outer edge;and a pull tab located on the upper surface of the lid, wherein the pulltab has an at least finger-sized opening; the pull tab being locatedadjacent to an edge of the lid.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 12,wherein: the pull tab extends at least partially beyond an outer edge ofthe lid.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each main armis curved substantially conforming to the upwardly radially-outwardreaching surface of the underlying portion.
 15. The apparatus accordingto claim 14, wherein the cutting assembly further comprising an upperblade module having two or more minor arms that reach upwardly outwardlywithin the jug, the upper blade module being co-axially spaced above themain blade, wherein the area swept through by the minor arms is lessthan the area swept through by the main arms; and each minor arm isvertically inclined to a different degree to the main arms.
 16. Theapparatus according to claim 15, wherein, a cutting edge of at least oneminor arm has serrations.
 17. The apparatus according to claim 16,wherein an upright blade tip is located proximal to an outer end of eachmain arm.
 18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein each main armfurther comprises a cutting edge that faces downwardly and into adirection of rotation.
 19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein,the cutting assembly is mounted on a coupling assembly that defines theunderlying portion of the interior surface of the jug.
 20. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the transition point is defined by atangential intersection between the upwardly radially-outward reachinglower surface and the substantially straight interior side surface ofthe jug.